Individual B'stillas (Moroccan Chicken and Almond Pies) Reviews

The traditional b'stilla is an enormous pigeon or chicken pie wrapped in golden paper-thin pastry leaves. However, we made individual pies for ease of serving. The idea of meat mixed with spices and encased in pastry was brought to Morocco by Arabs from the Middle East; the delicate pastry sheets, it is thought, came specifically from Persia.

Spices play a big part in Moroccan cooking. This legendary spice mixture is translated as "top of the shop."

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i have made this recipe dozens of times - always with boned, skinned chicken thighs and lately as individual "hand pies ". We operate a restaurant in an eclectic neighbourhood in Toronto and these fly out the door. They freeze beautifully. We have started to sell them frozen ready to bake.
There has NEVER been a disappointed customer. The spice mix is exotic but not hot. We make a lot and keep it in the frig to stay fresh. A bit time consuming but it as a lovely dish to get the elements organized and enjoy a cup of tea or a glass of wine as the food aromas meld. We usually make the chicken mixture the day before and then assemble the phyllo pies the next day. Enjoy

Spectacular!! I made this as one big pie in a pie dish, so I didn't use much phyllo. Tastes great with roasted carrots with cumin yogurt and Israeli couscous with pine nuts and currants. Sophisticated without being too spicy or weird.

I, too, greatly missed Dar Maghreb's amazing B'stilla. I decided this recipe seemed the closest, but made the mistake of utilizing reviewers' recommendations before trying the original recipe. I doubled the almond/sugar mixture -- eww!! TOO sweet! The sweetness should be hinted at, not smack you in the face. And I used only 2 eggs -- which made the filling rather dry.
So today I tried again. I used the 3 eggs and recipe's amount of almond sugar. Both times I made a big pie instead of individual ones. I cooked it in a deep-dish glass pie plate at $350 for 30 minutes, until well browned. Flipped it onto a plate, dusted it with powdered sugar (as I remember it ), and tossed a few toasted almond slivers on it. Bravo!
Really great recipe!

..ps -- you can make these up, wrap them carefully in paper towels and keep them in the fridge overnight if you are making a big meal and don't have time to put them together the day of the dinner. Works fine.

I've been making
this for special
occasions for since,
well, 1994. One of
my favorite recipes
ever. This is the
real deal. There
are other b'stilla
recipes out there
and they are pallid
imitations. It's
one of the most
delicious and
impressive dishes
I've ever made, and
I often use these to
start a meal at a
party celebrating
something and follow
with a butterflied
leg of lamb roasted
with Moroccan spices
and flavorings and
the usual couscous
and vegetables. It
never fails to get
utter raves. Yes,
it's a lot of work
-- that's why it's
so much fun!!!

I've been making
this for special
occasions for since,
well, 1994. One of
my favorite recipes
ever. This is the
real deal. There
are other b'stilla
recipes out there
and they are pallid
imitations. It's
one of the most
delicious and
impressive dishes
I've ever made, and
I often use these to
start a meal at a
party celebrating
something and follow
with a butterflied
leg of lamb roasted
with Moroccan spices
and flavorings and
the usual couscous
and vegetables. It
never fails to get
utter raves. Yes,
it's a lot of work
-- that's why it's
so much fun!!!

I first tried b'stilla in Marrakesh and loved it since the first bite. This recipe is well worth all the time it takes to make it. My boyfriend is Moroccan and was very impressed with it. This recipe is a keeper for me!

Made this almost exactly as written ( just made them appetizer side & cut the butter with half olive oil). Took them to a New Year's Eve party & folks couldn't get enough. So delicious - this ras el hangout recipe is hands down the best on this site.